JP2018091712A - Sensor and sensor system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a rise of output of a sensor.SOLUTION: A sensor 1 according to the present invention includes: an electrode 12; an insulator 11 arranged at a position facing the electrode 12 and away from it; a pressure reception portion 10 provided on an opposite face 11b from the electrode 12 of the insulator 11; and pressure application means 3 for applying pressure to part 11a of the insulator toward the electrode at a position 16c different from the pressure reception portion and thereby making the insulator 11 contact with the electrode 12. The insulator 11 generates power by contact charging with or peeling charging from the electrode 12 and outputs it as a signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor and a sensor system.

  Patent Document 1 describes an element in which an electric charge flows through an electrode when the electrode and the insulator are peeled from each other. Patent Document 2 uses an electric signal source that uses the electric charge flowing through the electrode during the contact and peeling between the electrode and the insulator. A sensor is described.

In the configurations described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, charge is generated in the electrode when the electrode and the insulator are separated, and the charge flows on the electrode when the electrode and the insulator are in contact with each other. For this reason, as the time interval (hereinafter referred to as standing time) from the first contact operation or the peeling operation to the next contact operation is longer, the charge amount on the insulator surface decreases due to charge leakage on the insulator surface. In this state, since the amount of charge flowing to the electrode at the time of contact is small, there is room for improvement in terms of rising.
An object of the present invention is to improve the rising of the output of a sensor.

  The sensor according to the present invention includes an electrode, an insulator disposed at a position facing the electrode, a pressure receiving portion provided on a surface of the insulator opposite to the electrode, and an insulator at a position different from the pressure receiving portion. Pressure applying means for contacting the insulator with the electrode by pressurizing a part of the electrode toward the electrode, and generating power by contact charging or peeling charging between the insulator and the electrode to output as a signal It is said.

  According to the present invention, the rising of the output of the sensor can be improved.

The figure explaining the structure of the sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a sensor unit provided with the same. The block diagram explaining the structure of the sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a sensor unit provided with the same. The flowchart which shows one form of control which concerns on this embodiment. The figure explaining the state of the element to which pressure was given by the pressure provision means in the initial state. The figure explaining the state of an element when a detection target contacts a sensor after applying pressure by a pressure applying means. The figure explaining the state of an element when a detection target contacts a sensor in a normal state. The figure explaining the modification of embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the output from a sensor when contact peeling operation | movement is performed with respect to the sensor. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an output result according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the output result by the comparative example 1. The figure explaining the attenuation characteristic of the output of the conventional sensor when a person peels off.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, components having the same function and the same configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. The drawings may be partially omitted to facilitate understanding of the configuration.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a sensor system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensor 1 and a signal processing unit 4. The sensor 1 includes an electrode 12, an insulator 11 that is spaced apart from the electrode 12, a pressure receiving unit 10 that is provided on the opposite side 11 b of the insulator 11 from the electrode 12, and a pressure receiving unit 10. Pressure applying means 3 for bringing the insulator 11 into contact with the electrode 12 by pressing a part of the insulator 11 toward the electrode 12 at a different position. In the sensor 1, the insulator 11 generates power by contact charging or peeling charging with the electrode 12 and outputs it as a signal. In the present embodiment, at least the electrode 12 and the insulator 11 are laminated to constitute the element 2, and the element 2 is used as a signal output unit. In this embodiment, the sensor 1 is used as a contact peeling sensor used when detecting a contact state or a peeling state (separated state). The sensor 1 may be used in a form other than the contact / separation sensor.

  Here, FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the standing time and output of the conventional sensor. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis represents the standing time [hr], and the vertical axis represents the signal value attenuation rate [%]. In the case of a sensor having a conventional configuration, it can be seen that the output value decreases as the leaving time [hr] increases. When used as a sensor, a sensor having a conventional configuration including the element 2 does not transmit a signal even when the charge on the surface of the insulator 11 contacts the electrode 12 when the sensor is used for the first time or is left for a long time (a predetermined time or longer). It has a characteristic that it is so small that it cannot be detected. For this reason, since the rise of the sensor output becomes unstable, there is room for improvement in terms of the rise of the sensor. In the present embodiment, a state in which an output necessary for such detection cannot be output is referred to as an initial state.

Thus, in order to improve and improve the problem in the initial state, the sensor 1 according to the present embodiment places the insulator 11 toward the electrode 12 at a position 16c different from the pressure receiving portion 10 as shown in FIG. There is provided pressure applying means 3 which is brought into contact with the electrode 12 by applying pressure.
In the present embodiment, the element 2 includes constituent members such as an insulator 11, an electrode 12, a space 13, a spacer 14, and a cover 15 (also referred to as a case). The structure of the element 2 may further include other members as necessary. The insulator 11, the electrode 12, the space 13, and the spacer 14 are included in the cover 15.
In the present embodiment, the electrode 12 is housed inside the bottomed cover 15. The space 13 is formed by disposing an insulating spacer 14 on the electrode 12 and supporting the cover portion 16 of the cover 15 on which the insulator 11 is mounted with the spacer 14. The spacer 14 may be provided as necessary. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, if the lid 16 is arranged on the opening edge 15a of the cover 15 and supported by the opening edge 15a, the spacer 14 is not installed. May be.
In the present embodiment, the lid 16 has flexibility and can be deformed by receiving pressure. Similarly, the insulator 11 has flexibility, and is mounted with the opposite surface 11b in contact with the inner surface 16a which is a surface located on the space 13 side of the lid 16. The space 13 is configured as a sealed space with the lid 16 attached to the spacer 14. For this reason, it is preferable to arrange a seal member at the contact portion between the lid 16 and the spacer 14.

In the present embodiment, the pressure receiving unit 10 is a contact detection unit, is provided on the outer surface 16 b of the lid 16, and has a positional relationship facing the insulator 11 through the lid 16. Here, the pressure receiving portion 10 is provided on the lid 16 and is configured integrally with the element 2. However, the pressure receiving section 10 may be arranged separately from the element 2 by arranging a gap with respect to the outer surface 16 b of the lid 16. The pressure receiving portion 10 is a portion where the electrode 12 and the insulator 11 can contact with each other in FIG. 1, and is provided in a region different from the portion 16 c where the electrode 12 and the insulator 11 are contacted by the pressure applying means 3. The contact / peeling of the person or the object other than the initial state is detected from the contact state with the pressure receiving unit 10 and the peeled state.
The pressure applying means 3 is shifted from the pressure receiving portion 10 and is disposed outside the lid 16, and presses the lid 16 toward the electrode 12, thereby separating the insulator 11 and the electrode 12 that are in a separated state when no pressure is applied. Is in a contact state. The pressure applying means 3 includes, for example, a movable body such as a weight disposed so as to be able to contact the outer surface 16b of the lid 16, and an electromagnetic actuator that holds the movable body. The movable body is held in a state in which the insulator 11 is separated from the electrode 12 when the electromagnetic actuator is in an off state. When the electromagnetic actuator is turned on (actuated), as shown in FIG. The insulator 11 is deformed toward the electrode 12 via the lid 16 and moved so that the insulator 11 and the electrode 12 (more specifically, the surface 12a) are brought into contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the signal processing unit 4 is connected to the electrode 12 of the element 2 (sensor 1) via a signal line, and determines contact / separation according to a signal [for example, output] output from the electrode 12. The function to perform. For example, the form which implements determination of a contact and peeling from the voltage (output voltage V) output from the electrode 12 of the element 2 and threshold value V1, V2 is mentioned. The signal processing unit 4 has a function of operating the pressure applying unit 3 when the elapsed time H exceeds the predetermined time H1.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the signal processing unit 4 includes a CPU 41 that is a central processing unit, a RAM 42 and a ROM 43 that are storage units, and a timer 44 that is a time measurement unit. In the ROM 43, threshold values V1 and V2 for determining contact and peeling, and a predetermined time H1 as a determination value used for determining whether or not the sensor 1 is in the initial state are stored in advance. The threshold value V1 can also be used as a determination value used to determine whether or not the sensor 1 is in the initial state.
The CPU 41 has a function of measuring an elapsed time H from the output voltage V from the electrode 12 (sensor 1) until the next output voltage V is output by the timer 44. The CPU 41 has a function of determining contact based on the output voltage V from the electrode 12 and the threshold value V1, a function of determining separation based on the output voltage V and the threshold value V2, and an elapsed time H measured by the timer 44. Based on the predetermined time H1, a function of controlling the operation of the pressurizing device 3 [on / off of the electromagnetic actuator] is provided.

The control contents of the sensor system 100 having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
In step ST1, the sensor system 100 determines whether the signal processing unit 4 is in the initial state, for example, from the elapsed time H from the previous sensor operation and the predetermined time H1. The signal processing unit 4 measures an elapsed time H after the output voltage V from the sensor 1 disappears with the timer 44. When the elapsed time H exceeds the predetermined time H1, the signal processing unit 4 assumes that the output voltage V from the element 2 (sensor 1) is low and the contact / separation is regarded as an output level that cannot be determined. Proceeding to ST2, if the elapsed time H does not exceed the predetermined time H1, it is regarded as an output level at which contact / separation can be determined, and the process proceeds to step ST3.

The signal processing unit 4 operates the pressure applying unit 3 in step ST2, and proceeds to step ST3. In step ST2, for example, the electromagnetic actuator is operated and the movable body is dropped by its own weight, so that the insulator 11 is deformed as shown in FIG. 4, and the facing surface 11a between the surface 12a of the electrode 12 and the surface 12a of the electrode 12 is formed. Are in contact with each other. In this state, when a person or an object comes into contact with the pressure receiving portion 10 and is pressed to deform the insulator 11 toward the electrode 12, the internal pressure of the space 13 increases. Thereby, the insulator 11 which is in contact with the surface 12a of the electrode 12 by the movable body is pushed up together with the movable body in a direction away from the surface 12a of the electrode 12, as shown in FIG. As a result, the insulator 11 is separated from the surface 12 a of the electrode 12, and the electric charge generated by the peeling charge at that time is supplied to the electrode 12 and is output as the output voltage V.
On the other hand, if the elapsed time H does not exceed the predetermined time H1 in step ST1, the signal processing unit 4 regards the output level as being capable of determining contact / separation, and proceeds to step ST3.

In step ST3, the signal control unit 4 determines whether or not the pressure receiving unit 10 has been pressurized. Here, when a person or an object is pressed by being in contact with the pressure receiving portion 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the insulator 11 is deformed in a direction in contact with the electrode 12, and the surface 12a and the opposing surface 11a of the electrode 12 are deformed. And contact. At this time, since the element 21 is not in the initial state, the charge remaining on the facing surface 11a of the insulator 11 moves to the electrode 12 and is output to the signal processing unit 4 as a sensor output (output voltage V). In the signal processing unit 4, the output voltage and the threshold value V1 are compared, and if the output voltage and the threshold value V are exceeded, the contact state is determined.
When a person or an object is peeled off from the pressure receiving part 10, the insulator 11 is separated from the surface 12a of the electrode 12, as shown in FIG. V) is output to the signal processing unit 4. The signal processing unit 4 compares the output voltage with the threshold value V2, and determines that the peeled state is present when the output voltage V exceeds the threshold value V2. That is, when there is an output voltage V exceeding the threshold values V1 and V2, the signal processing unit 4 can detect the contact / separation state and the separation state.

In this manner, the opposing surface 11a, which is a part of the insulator 11, is partially brought into contact with the surface 12a of the electrode 12 by the pressure applying means 3, so that the insulator 11 receives the pressure by the pressure receiving portion 10 and the electrode 12 If the surface 11a of the insulator 11 that is in contact with the electrode 12 is separated from the surface 12a of the electrode 12, a peeling discharge occurs and the rise of the initial output from the sensor 1 is improved. it can.
In addition, the element 2 is also applied to the insulator 11 and the spacer 14 when pressure is applied to the insulator 11 by contact of a person or an object or by the pressure applying means 3 via the lid 16 to increase the pressure in the space 13. The element 2 is not broken by elastic deformation of the element.

  In the above embodiment, whether or not the sensor 1 is in the initial state is determined by comparing the elapsed time H with the predetermined time H1, but the output voltage V is compared with an arbitrary threshold value as a determination value. When the output voltage V <threshold, the output voltage V from the element 2 (sensor 1) is low, and it may be determined that the contact / separation is regarded as an indeterminate output level. As an arbitrary threshold value (determination value) in this case, for example, the threshold value V1 or the threshold value V2 may be used.

Next, details of members constituting the element 2 will be described.
<Insulator 11>
The material of the insulator 11 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, a material having good chargeability at the time of peeling from the electrode 12 is preferable for improving the S / N of the output signal. In consideration of durability and deformability due to contact with a person or an object, a rubber material is preferable. For example, it consists of a silicone rubber composition containing silicone rubber.
-Silicone rubber-
The silicone rubber is not particularly limited as long as it has an organopolysiloxane bond, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.
Examples of the silicone rubber include dimethyl silicone rubber, methylphenyl silicone rubber, modified silicone rubber (for example, acrylic modified silicone rubber, alkyd modified silicone rubber, ester modified silicone rubber, epoxy modified silicone rubber, etc.). These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
As silicone rubber, what was synthesize | combined suitably may be used and a commercial item may be used. Examples of commercially available products include IVS4312, TSE3033, XE14-C2042 (made by Momentive Performance Materials Japan GK), KE-1935 (made by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), DY35-2083 (Toray Dow Corning Co., Ltd.). Manufactured). These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

-Preparation of silicone rubber composition-
The silicone rubber composition can be prepared by mixing and kneading and dispersing silicone rubber and filler, and other components as necessary.
-Method for forming silicone rubber-
The method for forming the silicone rubber is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.For example, the silicone rubber composition is applied on a substrate by blade coating, die coating, dip coating, or the like. Then, the method of hardening with a heat | fever, an electron beam, etc. is mentioned.
The silicone rubber may be a single layer or multiple layers.
The average thickness of the silicone rubber is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, in consideration of mechanical strength and flexibility, 1 μm to 10 mm is preferable, and 20 μm to 200 μm is more preferable.
As electrical characteristics of the silicone rubber, it is preferable to have a volume resistivity of 108 Ωcm or more, and more preferable to have a volume resistivity of 1010 Ωcm or more. By setting the volume resistivity of the insulator in a preferable numerical range, electric charges are likely to remain on the silicone rubber in the previous period even when the standing time is long.

-Surface modification treatment of insulator 11-
The insulator 11 is preferably subjected to surface modification treatment from the viewpoint of improving the chargeability.
The surface modification treatment is not particularly limited as long as it has a certain irradiation energy and can modify the material, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment, Examples thereof include electron beam irradiation treatment, ultraviolet irradiation treatment, ozone treatment, and radiation (X-ray, α-ray, β-ray, γ-ray, neutron beam) irradiation treatment. Among these, plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment, and electron beam irradiation treatment are preferable from the viewpoint of treatment speed.
--- Plasma treatment--
In the case of plasma processing, as the plasma generator, for example, a parallel plate type, a capacitive coupling type, an inductive coupling type, or an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus can be used. From the viewpoint of durability, reduced pressure plasma treatment is preferred.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as reaction pressure in a plasma processing, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 0.05 Pa-100 Pa are preferable and 1 Pa-20 Pa are more preferable.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as reaction atmosphere in a plasma process, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, gases, such as an inert gas, a noble gas, and oxygen, are effective.
The irradiation power amount in the plasma processing is defined by (output × irradiation time). The irradiation power amount is preferably 5 Wh to 200 Wh, and more preferably 10 Wh to 50 Wh. When the irradiation power amount is within the preferable range, the charging property of the insulator 11 can be improved, and the durability is not lowered by excessive irradiation.
--- Corona discharge treatment ---
The applied energy (integrated energy) in the corona discharge treatment is preferably 6 J / cm 2 to 300 J / cm 2, and more preferably 12 J / cm 2 to 60 J / cm 2. When the applied energy is within the preferred range, good charging performance and durability can be achieved.
The applied voltage in the corona discharge treatment is preferably 50V to 150V, and more preferably 100V. The reaction atmosphere for the corona discharge treatment is preferably air.
-Electron beam irradiation treatment-
The dose in the electron beam irradiation treatment is preferably 1 kGy or more, and more preferably 300 kGy to 10 MGy. When the irradiation amount is within the preferable range, the chargeability of the insulator 11 can be improved, and the durability is not lowered by excessive irradiation.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as reaction atmosphere in an electron beam irradiation process, According to the objective, it can select suitably.

--- UV irradiation treatment ---
The ultraviolet ray in the ultraviolet irradiation treatment is preferably 200 nm or more at a wavelength of 365 nm or less, and more preferably 240 nm or more at a wavelength of 320 nm or less.
The integrated light quantity in the ultraviolet irradiation treatment is preferably 5 J / cm 2 to 500 J / cm 2, and more preferably 50 J / cm 2 to 400 J / cm 2. When the integrated light quantity is within a preferable range, the chargeability of the insulator can be improved, and durability is not reduced by excessive irradiation.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as reaction atmosphere in an ultraviolet irradiation process, According to the objective, it can select suitably.

<About electrodes>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a material, a shape, a magnitude | size, and a structure of the electrode 12, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
Examples of the material of the electrode 12 include metals, carbon-based conductive materials, conductive rubber compositions, and the like.
Examples of the metal include gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, tantalum, nickel, phosphor bronze and the like.
Examples of the carbon-based conductive material include graphite, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotube.
Examples of the conductive rubber composition include a composition containing a conductive filler and rubber.
Examples of the conductive filler include carbon materials (eg, ketjen black, acetylene black, graphite, carbon fiber, carbon fiber (CF), carbon nanofiber (CNF), carbon nanotube (CNT), etc.), metal filler (eg, , Gold, silver, platinum, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, etc.), conductive polymer materials (eg, polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyparaphenylene, and polyparaphenylene vinylene derivatives, or These derivatives are added with a dopant typified by an anion or a cation), ionic liquids, and the like. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
Examples of the rubber include silicone rubber, modified silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, chloroprene rubber, polysulfide rubber, urethane rubber, isobutyl rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, ethylene rubber, and natural rubber (latex). These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

Examples of the form of the electrode 12 include a sheet, a film, a thin film, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, a mesh, and a sponge. The nonwoven fabric formed by overlapping the fibrous carbon materials may be used.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a shape of the electrode 12, According to the shape of the element 2 (sensor 1), it can select suitably.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a magnitude | size of the electrode 12, According to the magnitude | size of the element 2 (sensor 1), it can select suitably.
The average thickness of the electrode 12 can be appropriately selected according to the structure of the element 2 (sensor 1), but is preferably 0.01 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 0.1 μm to 500 μm from the viewpoint of conductivity and flexibility. More preferred. When the average thickness is 0.01 μm or more, the mechanical strength is appropriate and the conductivity is improved.

<About space>
The fluid present in the space 13 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, but a gas such as air is preferable.

<About spacer>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the material, a form, a shape, a magnitude | size, etc. as the spacer 14, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
Examples of the material of the spacer 14 include a polymer material, rubber, metal, a conductive polymer material, a conductive rubber composition, and the like.
Examples of the polymer material include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide resin, fluorine resin, and acrylic resin.
Examples of the rubber include silicone rubber, modified silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, chloroprene rubber, polysulfide rubber, urethane rubber, isobutyl rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, ethylene rubber, and natural rubber (latex).
Examples of the metal include gold, silver, copper, aluminum, stainless steel, tantalum, nickel, and phosphor bronze.
Examples of the conductive polymer material include polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyaniline, and the like.
Examples of the conductive rubber composition include a composition containing a conductive filler and rubber. Examples of the conductive filler include carbon materials (eg, ketjen black, acetylene black, graphite, carbon fiber, carbon fiber, carbon nanofiber, carbon nanotube, etc.), metal (eg, gold, silver, platinum, copper, Iron, aluminum, nickel, etc.), conductive polymer materials (eg, polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyparaphenylene, and polyparaphenylene vinylene derivatives, or these derivatives represented by anions or cations) And the like, and ionic liquids.
Examples of the rubber include silicone rubber, modified silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, chloroprene rubber, polysulfide rubber, urethane rubber, isobutyl rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, ethylene rubber, and natural rubber (latex).
Examples of the form of the spacer include a sheet, a film, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, a mesh, and a sponge.
The shape, size, thickness, and installation location of the spacer can be appropriately selected according to the structure of the element 2 (sensor 1).

<About cover and lid>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as the cover 15 and the lid | cover 16, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
Examples of the material of the cover 15 and the lid 16 include a polymer material and rubber. Examples of the polymer material include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyimide resin, fluorine resin, and acrylic resin. Examples of the rubber include silicone rubber, modified silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, chloroprene rubber, polysulfide rubber, urethane rubber, isobutyl rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, ethylene rubber, and natural rubber (latex).
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the structure of the cover 15 and the lid | cover 16, a shape, a magnitude | size, thickness, etc., It can select suitably according to an apparatus.

<About pressure applying means>
The pressure applying means 3 is not particularly limited as long as it can bring the insulator 11 and the electrode 16 in a portion other than the pressure receiving portion 10 (contact detection portion) (position 16C different from the pressure receiving portion 10) into contact with each other. For example, the following are mentioned.
-You may install the weight used as a movable body as a pressure provision part.
The electrode 12 and the insulator 11 (element 2) may be sandwiched between clip directions in the stacking direction. However, the pressure applied by the pressure applying means 3 is equal to or higher than the pressure at which the electrode 12 and the insulator 11 can be brought into contact with each other only in a desired region, and the inside of the space 13 generated when a person or an object contacts the pressure receiving unit 10. The pressure should be less than or equal to the degree that the insulator 11 is peeled off from the electrode 12 due to the pressure increase.
A spring-like structure may be disposed between the insulator 11 and the cover 15 (lid 16).
A swingable arm-like (seesaw-like) structure having a weight at one end may be arranged on the cover 15 or the lid 16. A material that expands in response to heat or light is made of the insulator 11 and the cover 15 ( It may be arranged between the lids 16).
A magnet (including an electromagnet) may be disposed between the insulator 11 and the cover 15 (lid 16).
The compressed gas may be disposed between the insulator 11 and the cover 15 (lid 16).
An air suction device may be arranged to suck the position 16C different from the pressure receiving unit 10.

<About the signal processor>
As described above, the signal processing unit 4 is connected to the electrode 12 of the element 2 and determines contact peeling according to the output signal. FIG. 8 shows the waveform of the voltage output by the contact and peeling operation when the sensor 1 is not in the initial state (normal case). In FIG. 8, A is a waveform that appears at the time of contact, and B is a waveform that appears at the time of peeling. Such maximum values (voltages) of the waveforms A and B are previously obtained for each sensor 1 by a test or the like, stored as thresholds A and B in the ROM 43 constituting the signal processing unit 4, and the output voltage V and the ROM 43 are stored in the CPU 41. Are compared with each threshold value stored in step ST3 in FIG. 5 to determine the state of contact / peeling. The sign of the signal can be changed by, for example, a combination of the electrode 12 and the insulator 11, surface treatment, circuit connection, or the like.

<About other members>
Examples of other members include electric wires and electric circuits.
-Electric wire-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as an electric wire, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
Examples of the material of the electric wire include metals and alloys. Examples of the metal include gold, silver, copper, aluminum, and nickel.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the structure of an electric wire, a shape, thickness, etc., It can select suitably according to an apparatus.
-Electric circuit-
The electric circuit is not particularly limited as long as it is a circuit that takes out the electric charge generated in the element 2 as electric power, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.
Examples of the electric circuit include a rectifier circuit, an oscilloscope, a voltmeter, an ammeter, a storage circuit, an LED, and various sensors (ultrasonic sensor, pressure sensor, tactile sensor, strain sensor, acceleration sensor, impact sensor, vibration sensor, pressure sensor) Sensor, electric field sensor, sound pressure sensor, etc.).
In addition, it cannot be overemphasized that the structure of the sensor system 1 in embodiment mentioned above is an example, and there exist various system structure examples according to a use and the objective.
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications, within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims, It can be changed. Moreover, it is also possible to combine a part or all of each embodiment mentioned above.

The reason why contact in the initial state of the sensor 1 can be detected according to the above-described embodiment will be described.
For example, when it is considered that the use of the sensor 1 (also referred to as a sensor unit) is finished and the initial state is reached until the next contact with a person or object, the opposing surface 11a of the insulator 11 is applied by the pressure applying means 3 as shown in FIG. And a part of the surface 12a of the electrode 12 are brought into a partial contact state. In this state, when a person or an object contacts the pressure receiving portion 10 of the element 2, the insulator 11 and the cover 16 of the cover 15, and in some cases, the cover 15 are also deformed. Further, since the fluid inside the space 13 of the element 2 is sealed with the cover 15, the pressure increases due to the deformation of the lid 16, and the portion of the electrode 12 and the insulator that are in contact with each other by the pressure applying means 3. 11 peels off. By outputting the electric charge generated by the separation to the signal processing unit 4 through the electrode 12, it is possible to detect contact in the initial state of the sensor 1.

Example 1
<Preparation of element 2>
Silicone rubber (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., KE-1935) is coated on a PET film, preheated at 60 ° C. for 5 minutes, and heated and cured at 120 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a rubber having a thickness of about 100 μm. A piece cut to 15 cm was prepared. Further, the rubber was subjected to a surface modification treatment and peeled off from the PET film to constitute an insulator.
As surface modification treatment, plasma treatment (treatment condition: manufactured by Yamato Scientific Co., Ltd., PR-510, output 300 W, treatment time: 3 minutes, reaction atmosphere: oxygen) was performed.
As the electrode 12, a cloth electrode Sui-10-70 having a thickness of 110 μm (manufactured by Seiren Co., Ltd.) having a size of 19 cm × 14 cm was used.
A spacer 14 (Toray Industries, Inc., U34 Lumirror # 50, thickness 50 μm) was fixed between the silicone rubber and the electrode 12 with a double-sided tape (Taiyo Wire Mesh Co., Ltd., TRAN-SIL NT-1001, thickness 50 μm).
The electrode 12 was pulled out and connected to an oscilloscope (manufactured by LeCroy Co., Ltd.).
As the cover 15 and the lid 16, a PET laminate film having a thickness of 75 μm (Fellows Co., Ltd.) cut to 22 cm × 17 cm was used.
A pressure of about 2 kPa (area: 144 cm ^ 2, weight: 2.77 kg) is applied to the element 2 in the initial state with a weight serving as a movable body (pressure applying portion), and then a surface other than the pressure applying portion. A human contact operation was performed on (pressure receiving unit 10).

(Comparative Example 1)
In the configuration of Example 1, the contact / separation operation by a person was performed on the pressure receiving portion 10 of the element 2 in the initial state without applying a pressure with a weight.

FIG. 9 shows the measurement result of the output from the sensor 1 when a person contacts the pressure receiving unit 10 in Example 1, and FIG. 10 shows the sensor when the person contacts the pressure receiving unit 10 in Comparative Example 1. The measurement result of output is shown. 9 and 10, the vertical axis indicates the voltage (V) as an output, and the horizontal axis indicates time (S). In Example 1 in FIG. 9, the voltage rises and detects contact when a person contacts, but in Comparative Example 1, there is no voltage rise and contact cannot be detected.
As is clear from the results of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, in the initial state where the charge on the facing surface 11a of the insulator 11 is reduced, before the detection target contacts the sensor 1, the insulator 11 It is possible to detect p @ \\\\\ that the detection target has first contacted the sensor 1 by contacting a part with the electrode 12.

The preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments and examples, and is not limited to the above description. Various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in.
The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sensor unit 2 Element 3 Pressure provision means 4 Signal processing part 10 Pressure receiving part 11 Insulator 11a Part of insulator 11b Opposite surface of insulator 12 Electrode 13 Space 14 Spacer 15 Cover 16c Position different from pressure receiving part H, V1, V2 Judgment value V signal

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-103967 Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-012765

Claims (7)

Electrodes,
An insulator disposed at a position facing the electrode and spaced apart;
A pressure receiving portion provided on an opposite surface from the electrode in the insulator;
Pressure applying means for bringing the insulator into contact with the electrode by pressurizing a part of the insulator toward the electrode at a position different from the pressure receiving portion;
A sensor in which the insulator generates power by contact charging or peeling charging with the electrode and outputs the signal.   The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a space is provided between the insulator and the electrode.   The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a spacer for forming a space between the insulator and the electrode.   The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a cover including at least the insulator and the electrode.   The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an element formed by laminating at least the electrode and the insulator.   6. A sensor unit comprising: the sensor according to claim 1; and a signal processing unit that processes a signal output from the sensor.   The sensor unit according to claim 6, wherein the signal processing unit controls the operation of the pressure applying unit based on the signal and a preset determination value.

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